User blog:MomoQca/A Dubious Operation (dialogue)
Scene 1: West Melville Street :Shiraton :Well, OBVIOUSLY if you devoltanize something like that you're going to hurt yourself. *fsssh* :Ugh, and we still have a ton of collection work left. *fsssh* What am I going to do about this mess? :Cross :Choice A — Worry: Ask if the xenoform needs any help. :Shiraton :I am flattered you would ask. *fsssh* So many of you humans really are kind. :*fsssh* We Zaruboggan are beginning a new initiative concerning this city's voltant. :Your kind discards it as unnecessary, but it is the source of life for us. *fsssh* This is why we have begun a collection service. :All was going well until my friend decided to devoltanize something called a "hamburger" from that restaurant. *fsssh* :I'm afraid he's out cold. *fsssh* His own fault, really. Even an idiot knows that everything but voltant is swimming with impurities. :Now I'm responsible for collecting more voltant from the people here than I possibly can by myself. Such a bother! *fsssh* :I was just trying to figure out a plan when you arrived. :*fsssssssssh* :I don't suppose you would be willing to help me? :As a resident, you know the city well. *fsssh* With your help, I could be done in no time. :I would really like to make this new initiative succeed, and working together with you would make it even better. *fsssh* :Message :Choice A — Accept: Accept this mission? :Shiraton :*fsssh* So then, you must speak with a doctor named Jeffrey, a recycling operator named Graham, and a Ma-non named Pfeffen. :Please gather voltant from all three of them. *fsssh* :Oh, and be careful when handling it. *fsssh* :*fsssh* Voltant is to you what that hamburger was to my dumb, unconscious friend. :Cross :Choice A — Thank: Express gratitude for Shiraton's disposing of this dangerous substance. :Shiraton :Not at all. *fsssh* It is we who must thank you. :*fsssh* If you did not share your supply of voltant with us, we would not be able to go on living. :Once you have all three loads, please hurry back here with them. *fsssh* Scene 2: Hangar :Jeffrey :Blast! Shiraton's running late, and I really need to get this stuff dealt with soon... :Cross :Choice A — Explain: Tell Jeffrey that you're here in Shiraton's stead. :Jeffrey :Ah, perfect! The cold storage facility is nearly overflowing with used test samples and all kinds of other nasty things. :I'm quite eager to get it all disposed of. ...So here. Take this capsule. :Er, and you're SURE the Zaruboggan can purify all of this toxic material? :Even the Ma-non can't do that, and they possess all manner of advanced technology. :Cross :Choice A — Confirm: Assure Jeffrey that the Zaruboggan will do as promised. :Jeffrey :If so, that's some ability! I'd be curious to watch them at work sometime. :I'll finish up a few things here, then pay Shiraton a visit and see this devoltanizing thing firsthand. :...You say he's by Rosemoss? Ah, excellent. I'll go look for him there. Scene 3: Central Melville Street :Graham :Are you here to pick up that fuel cell for the Zaruboggan? Oh, thank heavens! :I bought a curious alien machine from a BLADE but got more than I bargained for. :The way the fuel cell powering it is designed, one little slip and this whole neighborhood would be uninhabitable. :I didn't know what I was going to do with it. :Here you are. Do handle it carefully now. :...Oh, and do you know a BLADE by the name of Roselle? :She's been asking around about Shiraton and the Zaruboggan. She's rather...persistent. :And when she left, she told me to call her the next time I had something I didn't know how to dispose of. Handed me a business card and everything. :Cross :Choice B — Query: Ask Graham if he'll start going to her instead of Shiraton. :Graham :Never! Not when there are good people like Shiraton eager to do it free of charge. :I wouldn't trust that woman with last night's leftovers, let alone hazardous materials. :If you're headed to see Shiraton, tell him to watch out for that Roselle woman. :I have no idea who she is or what she's up to, but my gut tells me that it isn't good. Scene 4: Starboard :Pfeffen :Er, hello? Are you the human delivering this shipment to Shiraton? :I am very very glad to see you. Things are a bit...interesting right now? :See, I was developing a new weapon, but I accidentally wound up with an extra-lethal poision bomb. ...Chemistry, am I right? :I have no use for it, but it's not really the sort of thing I can just put out with the recycling, you know? I really was in in in quite the bind. :Life is so much easier since Shiraton and his friends started collecting this stuff, don't you think? :Cross :Choice B — Ask about Collections: Inquire about Shiraton's waste-disposal service. :Pfeffen :You humans seem so interested in the Zaruboggan! :A woman named Roselle asked me all about them a little while ago, you know? :But I sent her on her way. I think maybe it's best if curious humans get answers directly from the source? :In any case, please ask Shiraton to to to destroy this bomb for me, okay? :Here you go. I'm so so grateful. So, er, see you around, perhaps? Scene 5: West Melville Street :Jeffrey :Wait! Y-you're Shiraton's helper, right?! :Terrible news! He's been kidnapped! :I came here hoping to get the chance to watch him do his devoltanizing thing. :But when I arrived, he was arguing with a very suspicious woman. :Then all of a sudden, she threw him into a trailer and drove out of the city! :Cross :Choice A — Ask about the Kidnapper: Find out what Jeffrey knows about the woman. :Jeffrey :Not much, although I've seen her in the administrative district a few times. :I think she's a BLADE. Look for a woman with silver hair wearing a Skell pilot suit. :The trailer headed out the east gate and kept cutting east across Primordia. :A crazy stunt like this could undermine the relationship we've managed to build with the Zaruboggan. :Can you head out into Primordia and help Shiraton? Scene 6: Seaswept Rise :Roselle :Hah! That is AMAZING! It's really just like they said. :Poisons? Pollutants? Toxic wastes? All gone! Just...POOF! :The business applications are simply MASSIVE! You can forget about me working another day as a BLADE, I'll tell you that much. :...Hmm? You in the same line of work? Or are you out here on some search mission? :Well, I've got surveying this place covered, so you can hurry up and move along. :Cross :Choice A — Force: Attempt to capture Roselle and rescue Shiraton. :Roselle :Aw, damn! I thought I'd have more time before anyone caught up to me! :Even so, this doesn't change anything. I'm not letting a chance like this slip away. :So if you plan on standing in my way, I'll take care of you here and now! :Looks like I was right to bring the old girl with me. Let's go, Gold Courage! Scene 7: Seaswept Rise :Roselle :Un-REAL! You scrapped my Gold Courage! :Do you have ANY idea how much money I sank into customizing her?! :Shiraton :*fsssssssssh* :Phew! Devoltanization complete. *fsssh* :Er, is something wrong? What is everyone doing here? :*fsssh* Ah! Have you come here with the voltant you collected for me? :Oh, this is an excellent sampling! Just lovely. *fsssh* And it's nice of you to bring it all this way. Thank you so much. :...What's that? You came to rescue me? *fsssh* From Roselle? *fsssh* A kidnapping?! *fsssssssssssh* :No, there's no kidnapping here! Perish the thought! True, we had a bit of a misunderstanding at the start, but no. Everything is fine. *fsssh* :''She treated me to a huge supply of excellent voltant. :It was really most generous of her. *fsssh* No, Roselle is a dear friend. :Roselle :Ha! Ha ha ha! Man, what a space cadet. :Though, uh, you heard the guy! No kidnapping here! ...Think we can pretend this never happened? :I'm sorry for attacking you out of nowhere like that. That was totally my bad. Look, I'll even let you in on a piece of the jackpot if you forget it, okay? :So we have a deal? ...Please? :Cross :Choice B — Consider: Tell Roselle that it depends on what the jackpot is. :Roselle :I'm glad you asked! :So New LA produces more hazardous stuff than it can deal with. It's what the Zaruboggan call "voltant," though it's basically just random toxic garbage. :Anyway, people pay good money for someone to come take care of it for them. Really good money. :So we charge them a fortune, collect up the stuff, get the Zaruboggan to deal with it for free, and BOOM! Profit! :It's perfect, right? Guaranteed to make a fortune! :I grabbed this guy so I could get him to process a big pile of the stuff. :But that was super wrong of me. I get that now. I promise not to be so forceful next time. :From here on, this is an aboveboard business and he's an official employee. ...So what do you say? Let me off the hook this once? :I'll make it worth your while! There's good money in turning a blind eye every now and again, you know? :Cross :Choice A — Refuse: Tell Roselle you're reporting her to BLADE on charges of kidnapping. :Roselle :*sigh* I guess this is where this ride ends... :All right, fine. At least let me turn myself in. Maybe it'll help lighten my sentence a little. :Ugh, and it was so close I could taste it. Using these guys to build a company... Making fat stacks... :I would have had a harem of guys clamoring for my affections! Man, this sucks. :Shiraton :Has there been some problem here? *fsssh* I suppose you humans have your share of troubles. :*fsssh* In any case, the new initiative is off to a great start. :New LA has a lot of voltant to give, and I aim to be there to devoltanize the lot of it! *fsssh* :Thanks for your cooperation. :I'm going to head back to the city. *fsssh* Maybe I'll see you there. Category:Blog posts